O4-3 An evaluation of the Time to Move workplace physical activity intervention

Abstract Background Workplace physical activity interventions have shown positive outcomes for employee health, productivity and absenteeism (1,2). However, the majority prescribe the duration and/or type of activity to be undertaken. In response to strong public opinion that employers should do more to improve the health of their workforce, Public Health Wales, the public health agency for Wales, developed a 12-month pilot physical activity initiative - Time to Move (TTM). TTM allowed participants to use one hour/week (pro rata) of paid work time for any physical activity. We evaluated TTM to understand its impact and identify learning. Methods Using pre-experimental time series design, data were collected from participating employees: baseline (June-August 2018), mid-initiative (December 2018) and at 12-months (June-August 2019). Using validated scales where possible, questionnaires recorded: physical activity (MET-minutes/week), general health (0, poor-100, good), mental well-being (SWEMWBS), job satisfaction (1, very dissatisfied-5, very satisfied) and demographics. Biometric measures (baseline, 12-months) included Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure. Analyses used descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and generalized linear modelling. Focus groups explored participants' perceptions of TTM, analysed thematically. Results 542 participants completed all measures (63.1% of baseline). Compared to baseline, at 12-months 57.7% reported increased physical activity (30.6% decreased; 11.6% no change) with 75.3% meeting UK activity guidelines (58.8% baseline). Those with the lowest levels of physical activity at baseline (n = 223) increased their weekly moderate activity by > 2.5 hours, whilst those with moderate activity (n = 269) increased by 58 minutes/week. A small improvement was reported in mental well-being (mean scores; 22.4 baseline, 23.2 12-months), with participants with low mental well-being at baseline improving the most. Self-reported health and job satisfaction also improved. However, BMI and blood pressure changes were non-meaningful. Employee attitudes to TTM were positive. Organisational support was a motivating factor for participation, with competing demands a barrier. Conclusions The provision of paid time to engage in physical activity can improve employee health and well-being. TTM provides an example of how organisations can promote physical activity and change workplace culture. However, further research should explore the long-term impact of the intervention, including the potential impact of COVID-19-related restrictions.


Issue and problem
In Brazil, 47% of people are insufficiently physically active (Guthold et al, 2018). According to the Global Physical Activity Observatory, 13.2% of deaths in Brazil are caused by inactivity. Besides, Ding et al (2016) estimated the direct health cost attributable to physical inactivity in this country at 1.6 billion US dollars. Rio de Janeiro (RJ) is one of the largest cities in Brazil, with a high mortality rate (54.1%) from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and substantial health inequalities (SIM/MRJ, 2019). As a large city, it reproduces a worldwide trend, which associates economic growth and urbanization with an unhealthy lifestyle and epidemic levels of obesity and remarkable physical inactivity (WHO, 2014). Problem description The multifactorial context above described enables NCDs and challenges health protection systems. For this reason, the Municipal Health Department of RJ implemented since 2009 a Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) policy: 'Programa Academia Carioca' (PAC). This policy supports regular physical activity free of charge, in Primary Care Health Units (UAP). The Program combines the practice of physical activity associated with various educational and community activities. It includes Physical Education professionals who work in a multidisciplinary way. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the implementation of this policy. Results (effects/changes) After 11 years, the PAC has 142,969 participants, 80% of whom have NCDs. Among its participants, blood pressure control was demonstrated in 90% of hypertensive patients; weight loss, and a 60% reduction in cardiovascular risk classification, and suspension of medication in 20% of users. Being part of the PAC resulted in greater use and understanding of the general services of UAP in 86% and 98% of participants, respectively. Detailed results are not available at that time but will be presented at the conference.

Lessons
The PAC showed to be a successful tool to enhance health through physical activity at UAP. The use of trained and specialized professionals plays a fundamental key to develop educational and community actions in vulnerable groups.

Main messages
The implementation of an ambitious and integrated HEPA policy, considering environmental and health factors, can produce more effective institutional responses to change this Abstract citation ID: ckac094.027 O4-3 An evaluation of the Time to Move workplace physical activity intervention Background Workplace physical activity interventions have shown positive outcomes for employee health, productivity and absenteeism (1,2). However, the majority prescribe the duration and/or type of activity to be undertaken. In response to strong public opinion that employers should do more to improve the health of their workforce, Public Health Wales, the public health agency for Wales, developed a 12-month pilot physical activity initiative -Time to Move (TTM). TTM allowed participants to use one hour/week (pro rata) of paid work time for any physical activity. We evaluated TTM to understand its impact and identify learning. Methods Using pre-experimental time series design, data were collected from participating employees: baseline (June-August 2018), mid-initiative (December 2018) and at 12-months (June-August 2019). Using validated scales where possible, questionnaires recorded: physical activity (MET-minutes/week), general health (0, poor-100, good), mental well-being (SWEMWBS), job satisfaction (1, very dissatisfied-5, very satisfied) and demographics. Biometric measures (baseline, 12months) included Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure. Analyses used descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and generalized linear modelling. Focus groups explored participants' perceptions of TTM, analysed thematically. Results 542 participants completed all measures (63.1% of baseline). Compared to baseline, at 12-months 57.7% reported increased physical activity (30.6% decreased; 11.6% no change) with 75.3% meeting UK activity guidelines (58.8% baseline). Those with the lowest levels of physical activity at baseline (n = 223) increased their weekly moderate activity by > 2.5 hours, whilst those with moderate activity (n = 269) increased by 58 minutes/week. A small improvement was reported in mental well-being (mean scores; 22.4 baseline, 23.2 12months), with participants with low mental well-being at baseline improving the most. Self-reported health and job satisfaction also improved. However, BMI and blood pressure changes were non-meaningful. Employee attitudes to TTM were positive. Organisational support was a motivating factor for participation, with competing demands a barrier.

Conclusions
The provision of paid time to engage in physical activity can improve employee health and well-being. TTM provides an example of how organisations can promote physical activity and Introduction Regular physical activity (PA) is associated to a decrease in morbidity and mortality and to a better quality of life. The environment has been shown as an important factor in the adoption of an active lifestyle, especially among the elderly, since it may be the difference between a dependent or independent living and a better health status. Thus, the purpose of this study was to analyze the relation between the PA level and the environment perception of the elderly from a city in southern Brazil. Methods Three neighborhoods of the city of Santa Maria, RS -Brazil were drawn to be part of the investigation, with low, medium Abstract citation ID: ckac094.029 O4-5 A gamification-based intervention to encourage active travel

Background
There are enormous economic, human, and environmental costs of inactivity, climate change, air pollution and congestion and active travel can help reduce and prevent these. In England, however, only 26% of all trips are made by walking and only 2% are made by cycling. Walking and cycling contribute just 4% of total distance travelled. ?Beat the Street' is a community-wide intervention which aims to increase active travel by turning an area into a 6-week game. Residents earn points and prizes by walking and cycling and tapping a smartcard on RFID readers called ?Beat Boxes' placed on lampposts at half-mile intervals. To-date, over 1 million people have taken part in the intervention, however, the impact of the program on adult active travel is yet to be explored.

Methods
In Autumn 2019, Beat the Street was delivered throughout the London Borough of Hounslow. Prior, and immediately following the intervention, residents were invited to complete a self-report questionnaire (Sport England Active Lives Survey-SF) to assess changes in physical activity. Time-stamp data generated through Beat Box activity provided an objective measure of intervention engagement and a traffic survey camera was used to measure the number of cars travelling along 1 target road between 1-week pre-and 1-week postintervention. Data were analysed using a series of ANOVAs and McNemar tests. Results 28,219 people took part in the six-week game, of which 56% were female. Between pre-and post-intervention there was 7% decrease in adults reporting less than 30mins of activity per week and a 13% rise in adults reporting 150+ mins (n = 346, p > 0.01). Beat box data ascertained that 25% of total taps at all Beat Boxes were made between 08:00-08:59am and a further 28% were made between 3:00-3:59pm, typical travel to school/ work periods. Further, traffic camera data showed that between the week before and week following Beat the Street, 1199 and 705 fewer cars and 130 and 36 fewer vans were various target groups (employees and students at the university, patients and relative at the hospital, athletes participating in sporting activities in different associations etc.). Therefore, the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is involved in a project aiming at creating a 80-hectare AL area with various activity possibilities for the everyday users. Methods Citizen Science (CS) has been the bearing principle from the beginning of the project. Rather than developing such an area 'behind the desk', the guiding question throughout the process has been: According to the citizens, what should such area contain of? This has been initiated through expert workshops, student modules in relation to the Sports and Health education at SDU, arranging events together with local